Simple field-based tests of muscle strength can provide early clues about the risk of developing several long-term illnesses. This is shown in a new study from Karolinska Institutet, published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.
Adults with higher handgrip strength or better performance on the chair‑rise test showed a lower risk of developing several long‑term health conditions. The findings come from a systematic review and meta‑analysis of 155 cohort studies examining whether performance in simple field-based strength tests is associated with future disease.
"Our results show that simple strength measurements can provide important information about future health in adults," says Bruno Bizzozero Peroni , doctoral researcher at the Aging Research Center at the Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society , Karolinska Institutet.
The analysis included data from studies with participants over 18 years of age. Individuals with the highest handgrip strength had a lower risk of several diseases, including cardiovascular disease (odds ratio 0.73), type 2 diabetes (0.79), musculoskeletal disorders (0.65), dementia (0.62), and Parkinson's disease (0.53). An increase in grip strength by 5 kilograms was also associated with a reduced risk of most of these conditions.
Strength tests as a tool
Results from the chair‑rise test also showed associations. Those who performed the best had a lower risk of type 2 diabetes (0.80), musculoskeletal disorders (0.52), disability (0.58), depression (0.63), and dementia (0.68). Completing the test one second faster corresponded to a lower likelihood of musculoskeletal disorders.
"This suggests that strength tests that can be carried out, for example, in primary care may be a useful tool for identifying individuals at increased risk of disease," says Bruno Bizzozero Peroni.
The researchers emphasize that the scientific evidence ranged from very low to moderate quality, meaning the results should be interpreted with some caution.
The study is a compilation of previously published cohort studies and is based on data from several international research groups. In the summary on which this article is based, no information is provided regarding funding or potential conflicts of interest.
Publication
"Clinical importance of simple muscular fitness tests to predict long-term health conditions: a systematic review and meta-analysis of 94 cohort studies" , Nuria Marín-Jiménez, Bruno Bizzozero-Peroni, Pablo Molina-Garcia, Francisco B Ortega, Jean-Philippe Chaput, Kai Zhang, Justin J Lang, Ryan McGrath, Grant R Tomkinson, Vicente Martínez-Vizcaíno, Magdalena Cuenca-García, Jose Castro-Piñero, British Journal of Sports Medicine (BJSM), online 10 February 2026, doi: 10.1136/bjsports-2024-109173.
